Foxx gets nod to replace LaHood

Anthony Foxx, the fast-rising young mayor of Charlotte, N.C., will fill one of the last remaining slots in President Barack Obama's second-term Cabinet when the president taps him to replace Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, an administration official confirmed to POLITICO on Sunday.

Obama will announce Foxx's nomination on Monday, a day before the mayor's 42nd birthday, the official said. The news followed months of rumors that the mayor would win out over potential rivals including Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) and Debbie Hersman, chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board.

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Foxx, the first Democrat elected to the Charlotte mayor's office in 22 years, has long seemed a person on the way up. POLITICO named him one of “50 politicos to watch” in 2011, noting his successful effort to lure last year's Democratic National Convention to the Queen City.

He spoke at the convention as well, proclaiming Charlotte as “the city where Americans have come together to move our country forward and make great things possible.”

“I was born to a single mom and raised by her and my grandparents,” Foxx told the convention crowd. “They taught me to take pride in hard work, to take responsibility for my actions, and to understand that education could expand my mind and transform my life. From West Charlotte High School to Davidson College, where I was the first black student body president; from NYU Law School to practicing law in the public and private sectors; from the Charlotte City Council to becoming Charlotte's first Democratic mayor in 22 years to this stage tonight, I live by the values my family and what this community taught me.

“And you know what?” he said. “I have seen President Obama at work, and these are his values, too.”

“As mayor of one of America’s most vibrant cities, Anthony Foxx knows firsthand that investing in world-class infrastructure is vital to creating good jobs and ensuring American businesses can grow and compete in the global economy,” the administration official told POLITICO.

Foxx's transportation credentials include his push for expanding the city’s LYNX streetcar to UNC-Charlotte, creating the Charlotte Regional Intermodal Facility that transfers cargo between trucks and trains, and building a new runway at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport.

“These initiatives and investments are important pieces of a comprehensive plan to meet Charlotte’s transportation needs and maintain its position as a leader in high-tech industry and 21st century job creation,” the White House official said.

As an African-American, Foxx will also help address complaints about a perceived lack of diversity among Obama's top advisers. Conan O'Brien joked about that topic Saturday night, telling the president during the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner that “your hair is so white, it could be a member of your Cabinet.”